1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system, and in particular to a method and apparatus for managing notifications. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, and computer instructions for adjusting notifications of meetings based on a time zone in which a data processing system is located.
2. Description of Related Art
The Internet, also referred to as an “internetwork”, is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from a protocol of the sending network to a protocol used by the receiving network. When capitalized, the term “Internet” refers to the collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols.
The Internet has become a cultural fixture as a source of both information and entertainment. Many businesses are creating Internet sites as an integral part of their marketing efforts, informing consumers of the products or services offered by the business or providing other information seeking to engender brand loyalty. Many federal, state, and local government agencies are also employing Internet sites for informational purposes, particularly agencies which must interact with virtually all segments of society such as the Internal Revenue Service and secretaries of state. Providing informational guides and/or searchable databases of online public records may reduce operating costs. Further, the Internet is becoming increasingly popular as a medium for commercial transactions.
Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring data over the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, also called simply “the Web”. Other Internet resources exist for transferring information, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but have not achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transaction using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files (e.g., text, still graphic images, audio, motion video, etc.). The information in various data files is formatted for presentation to a user by a standard page description language, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). In addition to basic presentation formatting, HTML allows developers to specify “links” to other Web resources identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
Additionally, the Internet also provides a medium for exchanging messages. Specifically, electronic or email messages may be exchanged between different users on the Internet. An email server is used to send and receive messages between different users. Further, other services, such as calendar or meeting schedules may be provided through the servers. For example, a user may schedule a meeting for 2:00 p.m. This meeting is stored on the server and a notice may be sent to the user prior to the meeting.
Additionally, a user may set up meetings between the user and other persons. If the meeting is set for 2:00 p.m. a notice may be sent to other users to confirm whether they will be able to attend the meeting. These types of notices are adjusted for time zone changes based on the location of the users. For example, if the user setting the meeting for 2:00 p.m. is in the central standard time zone and one of the other users is in the eastern standard time zone, the notice to that other user is adjusted for the time zone and would provide a time of 3:00 p.m. for the meeting.
Although the meeting features are useful, incorrect notices may occur when a user with a laptop travels. One problem is that the time on the laptop may become incorrect. Such a situation occurs if the user travels from one time zone to another time zone and forgets or chooses not to reset the time on the laptop. Mail services, such as Lotus Notes, which is available from Lotus Development Corporation, adjust meeting schedules based on the local time for the sender and the time set on the receiver of the notice.
For example, if the user travels to the eastern standard time zone from the central standard time zone and sends out a meeting notice for 2:00 p.m. without updating the time on the laptop, the receiver of the notice will be notified that the meeting is for 3:00 p.m., rather than 2:00 p.m. As a result, the receiver of the notice will show up or call at the incorrect time if the meeting is confirmed because the server incorrectly adjusts the meeting time.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method, apparatus, and computer instructions for adjusting a system clock on a data processing system without requiring user intervention.